SummerLink Visit

This past weekend I made a day trip to HH/Bluffton to visit this year's SummerLINK team. It was such a blessing to meet the new team. I only know a few of the students as its a very young class but I've been praying for this group practically since I left last year! It was also refreshing (as always!) to reunite with the sweet staff all of which were either staff members or link students last year!

The group is preparing for the staff to leave at the end of this week. This is definitely a bittersweet time as the group has bonded and grown close to their servant leadership. It's also a greatly strengthening time though as the students further bond together and step up to the responsibilities assigned with the departure of the staff. I know it's also a bittersweet time for the staff as they look forward to hearing of the students further growth but would very much like to be with them.
I enjoyed hearing from the staff and students of how they've served and grown since arriving in the lowcountry about a month ago. I was there during their family weekend so they were very excited to share their experiences so far with family and friends. This was so encouragingly evident as they introduced themselves to me. The team has been serving migrant camps, holding free car washes and ice cream socials, as well as building relationships in their workplaces and helping with the weekly operations of the church plant, Crosspoint Bluffton.
I wondered (and was asked) what it would be like to return to such a different group from last year. I discovered that although I do love my group and miss being together with them as we were last summer, things felt as though they were exactly as they should be. It is truly exciting to see SummerLink continue knowing especially with a young class, the future of Crosspoints college program (and its leadership) are being trained and envigorated to serve the campus, community and wherever God leads them in the future with excitement and awe of His plan. It's such a great blessing and privilege to have been a part of this program and to return to see its future.

Here are a few pictures of my short but sweet time with SummerLINK 09

One of the things I enjoyed most about the visit was getting to see some familiar sites from last summer. First Baptist graciously allowed us to use their Student Center for our weekly group Celebration meetings which included a meal, games, praise and worship and a message. This year's group does this as well but their weekly schedule is a bit different.

Families were invited to gather at Driessen Beach for lunch at the park before BlufFest that evening. It was Matt Stephens' Birthday so some of the staff surprised him with a cake complete with a Batman mask (he's a big Dark Knight fan) and a matching costume as a gift.

It was a lot of fun seeing him and Jason as they returned for their second year as student linkers (three of the girls returned as staff). They are a true encouragement as they've grown in leadership and are serving the Lord whole-heartedly. Jason will be serving as the student director and Matt is very talented with media and leading worship.

I loved spending time with Clemson friends I don't get to see nearly as often as I'd like! Lyndsey is such a sweet sister. She's one of the oldest of the group and I'm sure doing a wonderful job encouraging and shepherding younger sisters.

Most of the female staff:Meredyth, Tara and Jenna (just April and the directors' wives, Liz and Brandy, missing). I thought it was fun to see how many of the alums wore our S'link 08 shirts.

Another familiar (and funny!) site. This is a restaurant in Bluffton just around the corner from Brenden Woods, the habitat neighborhood where we did block parties. Heath talked Meredith and I into a Bluffton Interns lunch one day. They make an excellent Gyro! (though, its more of a southern cookin' place than a greek....)

The trip was quick (as always with any visit to dear friends!) but very refreshing and fun! I'm looking forward to continuing to hear of how the Lord works in and through this group in the weeks (and prayerfully, years with coming groups!) to come!!

GirlTalk Sept 5, 2007 The Question God Always Answers

I was availing myself of the GirlTalk Blog's wonderful resource section this morning and came across this. Its amazing how God blesses us with just what we need when we're not specifically looking for it....


In difficulty, my first question is often “Why?” I can be tempted to demand an answer from God. Sometimes He makes his purposes clear: in many cases, our trials are indeed “preparation for the task." But God is not obligated, nor does He always tell us why.
But there is another question He will always answer, as JI Packer asserts in his new book: Praying the Lord’s Prayer:
“If you ask, ‘Why is this or that happening?’ no light may come, for ‘the secret things belong to the Lord our God’ (Deuteronomy 29:29); but if you ask, ‘How am I to serve and glorify God here and now, where I am?’ there will always be an answer.”
Our Father in heaven will show us how to glorify Him, if we simply ask, ready to obey. So which question are you asking today?
“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21

Caught Up in the Middle ....

Caught Up In The Middle --Mercy Me

...I've been embraced
By the wonderful arms of glory
There is nowhere else I'd rather be

I believe Your spirit is alive and on the move
Oh I want to be caught up in the middle of You
I wanna be a part of what I know you're gonna do
Oh I wanna be caught up in the middle of You...


I have so much to be thankful to God for right now!! I HAVE A JOB!!! There have been many confirmations that this is the "mission field" He's called me to right now. It's not something I expected but I know the Lord provided it. It's definitely a daily test of dying to self and full reliance on Him. I'm learning more about the absolute necessity of putting on the full armor before entering spiritual warfare (and for daily communion with Him!). As I've been in Proverbs in my reading plan, I've been reading about wisdom and seeing how the necessity of growing in wisdom and understanding plays out as I seek to serve and minister to coworkers. He has also been growing my prayer life as I've found myself more "needy" (as a sweet sister once explained it) of Him to guard my heart, words, actions and attitudes in front of those to whom I want to show Christ through my life.
Just recently, God reminded me of Romans 8:26. I was literally telling God I was so exhausted with a situation that I couldn't even find words. I don't think I've ever recognized His gentle, comforting voice so clearly! Just by saying I can't find the words but my heart's heavy, the Spirit took over and brought so much peace and comfort! God truly is amazingly faithful and good in how He provides for His children in EVERY way! He knows and takes care of every detail. What a gracious, loving Creator!
It's all SO much to take in but it's been so encouraging and peace-inducing to see God continually at work in my life! I know I still have unfulfilled passions and desires in serving the Lord. This, though, has just become a comforting promise that there's more to come! God's purposes and plans for me are far greater than I could ever dream. Eph 3:20, Jer 29:11
There are some sweet gifts from the Lord in my job. One is that I usually get 10-15 min in the morning to take a walk for some prayer and calm time before the start of the day. It's been such a blessing in preparing my mind and heart to "be on mission".


The views remind me of Summerlink :)

Fresh Perspective on the Proverbs 31 Woman

I came across this passage in the book I'm reading: Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. I found it especially challenging yet uplifting that she wasn't praised for any of her activities but for her character. And she chose to control her attitudes and tongue! So challenging and yet God allows us to accomplish this if we seek Him for grace and discipline!

A Woman of Character
A very familiar passage, Prov 31:10-31, gives a portrait of a woman of character and wisdom. When you read about this superwoman, what comes to your mind? A long litany of her achievements? I thought so. She was a paramount "doer". Yet, if you look carefully at the text, you will discover that all she accomplished flowed from her inner character. this woman took her knowledge of God and applied it in a skillful and successful way so that her life became a picture of beauty. It's interesting that we don't know her name or what she looked like. We don't know anything about her personality.
We do know, however, that her husband and grown children praised her. "There are many women of character but you surpass them all! Charm is deceiving, hiding an ugly personality, and beauty is only skin deep. But a woman who fears and reverences God is truly charming and lovely. Give her praise!" (verses 29-30 AMP). Did you note what they praised her for? Not because she was up at dawn, working into the night, or because she sewed her clothes, organized the home, and took food to the poor. They praised her for her spiritual character. What a tribute! Of all the women they know, she was the best.
This exceptional woman believed that God was the Blessed Controller of her life. But she also knew that God expected her to make godly choices to rule over herself. This involved making herself attractive by the "fine linen and purple" she wore (verse 22). A more difficult choice was to rule over her tongue: "She opens her mouth with skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness" (verse 26, AMP). The Proverbs 31 woman was not controlled by her circumstances and the demands of her family, her household, or her home business. She was ruler of her attitudes, her time, and her schedule. Her relationship with God was central. All that she became was a result of her yielding to His sovereign control. She allowed Him to place His brushstrokes on the canvas of her life. But she also chose to rule her appearance, her mouth, and her activities.

Wisdom From Older Sisters for Young Single Women

I was looking through old GirlTalk posts and found some great encouragement for this season of life. (I was actually looking for any clues as to the surprise they keep alluding to!! anyone have any ideas?? I'm thinking women's conference :) ) Last August, the ladies were discussing homemaking. Questions arose about single women and homemaking. The ladies gave some great Biblically-based insite as to what single women should do with our desires and instincts to be God-glorifying homemakers.

August 21, 2008
The Single Woman as Homemaker
Stephanie, a young single woman, wrote in with a question: ....
... do you have any encouragement for the single woman who desires to be a wife and mom, but...is not? ....
First of all remember that God has not forgotten you (Is. 44:21). He has ordained every single day of your singleness before one of them came to be (Ps. 139:16). You are not on hold or waiting in the wings of femininity. God has created you a woman and He has good works for you to walk in today (Eph 2:10) by expressing your femininity.
“Trust in the Lord, and do good” the Psalmist exhorts us. "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:3-4). Of course we know this is not a promise that He will bring you a husband. But we do know for sure that “no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11). If a husband is good for you, He will bring you a husband, in His good time. You don’t have a husband today because that is not good for you today. What you have today is better. It’s true even if it doesn’t feel like it. And it’s exciting!
But God wants you to delight in Him and in His good and perfect ways—which include a love for home and family. So don’t abandon your love for the home simply because you don’t have your own home yet. Your desires to be a helper, to nurture children, to care for a home are God-given and should be cultivated, not squashed. And you should continue to improve your skills in these areas, not put them on hold.
Listen to one single woman’s perspective:
“To be single is not to forego the traditional ‘womanly’ pursuits. Whether you live alone or with a husband and children, a house or apartment is still a home that requires “homemaking.” And marital status has nothing to do with the desire for warm, comfortable, aesthetically pleasing surroundings. God gave each of us a desire for beauty; it is part of our desire for him, who is loveliness incarnate. Why should a single woman reject that part of her image as a creature of God? . . . I am a better and more imaginative cook now than I was five years ago. I am free to experiment on myself and my friends. I have the time and the money to entertain people around the dinner table, something I might not want or be able to do if I cooked for a family three times a day every day” (Cheryl Forbes qtd. in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood by John Piper and Wayne Grudem, xxvii).
...I pray you are encouraged to trust in God and inspired to make it your aim to be an even “better and more imaginative” homemaker next year than you are now.


The discussion was continued with the next day's post:

The Way Home
... As a single woman there are many questions you must wrestle with—How do I reconcile my desire to work in the home with the need to work a job to support myself? How do I prepare for my future when I don’t know what that future will be? What does it look like to love the home and display femininity in my life? What if I can’t afford a home of my own? and many more.
While I can’t answer all these questions, I want to encourage you that God is eager to give you clarity. As JI Packer reminds us: “If you ask, ‘Why is this or that happening?’ no light may come, for ‘the secret things belong to the Lord our God (Deuteronomy 29:29); but if you ask, ‘How am I to serve and glorify God here and now, where I am?’ there will always be an answer” (The Lord’s Prayer, p. 14).
Take time, in prayer, to ask God how you can glorify Him as a woman, and in the home, here and now. And make use of the wisdom he has provided through others such as a pastor or a godly Christian friend....


I've heard over the last few months about taking full advantage of the single season to glorify God. I pray thats my daily focus! It's been a blessing to have some great heart to hearts with sweet sisters in the same season of life. Its uplifting to know how similar our questions and struggles are. I hope this is as encouraging to my sisters as it has been to me :)
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For His Name Sake

One of the breakouts at the Restore Conference was on "how far is too far?" in dating. I loved the way the presenter, Justin Perry, brought in the main theme of the conference: for the glory of God!
He explained that rather than ask about boundaries and restrictions in dating (or any other aspect of life) we should be asking what brings God the most glory (and how to flee from what doesn't!)
His notes include a great overview of Biblical references to the glory of God (what God Himself says about His glory!)
I thought they were definitely worth passing on as I've mentioned God teaching me more about His glory recently. Here's the main section on the "Theology of God's Glory"


Theology of God’s glory (help from Piper’s Desiring God)
-In order to best know why this question (how far...) compromises God’s glory, it would be wise for us to set the backdrop of the glory of God in all things.
-As John Piper notes, throughout Scripture the glory of God generally refers to the visible splendor or moral beauty of God’s perfections. It is an attempt to put into words what cannot be contained in words-his unveiled magnificence and excellence. A synonym for God’s glory is for His name sake.
-Let’s journey through the Scriptures together:
-Genesis 1.26-27—God’s aim in creating man is that he (man) would mirror forth God. Man is created to reflect the glory of his Maker whose image he bears. Thus, God’s purpose was to fill the whole earth with His glory. (Numbers 14.21- All the earth shall be full of the glory of the Lord and Isaiah 43.7- referring to His people as those whom I created for my glory)
-Genesis 12.1-2—God’s dealing with Abram shows us that God promises to make Abram’s name great…is this in contradiction to God receiving glory? Not at all, as Romans tells us: No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith, giving glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised (4.20-21). God blesses and by his obedience, Abram brings God glory.
-Exodus 14.4, 18—The deliverance of Israel was not because they were a great people, rather because of the great name of God! Other recordings are found in Ezekiel 20.9-But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. Psalm 106.7-8-Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember Your abundant kindness, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.
Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, That He might make His power known. God’s purpose is to act in such a way as to cause people to own up to His glory and confess that He is the only Lord of the universe…aka for His glory.
-Exodus 20.3-5—God has given His commandments to Moses, and out of the gate it is clear why He has given it to them. We have these so that we give God the glory and honor that is due Him.
-Ezekiel 20.21-22—God does not strike dead His people in the wilderness, although they deserved it. Rather, he is long-suffering for His own name’s sake.
-1 Samuel 12.19-23—After a period of judges, God raises up a king and again we see the mercy of God. He preserves His people for the honor of His name.
-For the sake of time, a few other places are 1 Kings 8.41-45 (Solomon dedicating the temple), deliverance in the time of the kings (2 Kings 19.34), exile and promised restoration (Isaiah 48.9-11), and post-exile prophets (Zech. 2.5, Hag. 1.8, Mal. 2.2)
-John 17.4, 7.18—both attest to the focus Jesus had in glorifying His Father in heaven.
-John 12.27-28—Jesus rejected any notion of saving Himself from death because His mission was to bring glory to the Father. The purpose of Jesus’ death was to glorify the Father...it accomplished much for us, but the purpose was bringing glory to the Father.
-1 Cor. 10.31/ 1 Peter 4.11/Matthew 5.16—The purpose of our lives is to glorify God.
-Revelation 21.23—John records this to show us that the consummation of God’s goal in all of history is to display His glory for all to see and praise. (John 17.24)
The conclusion of history is that God does all things at all times for His glory.

To Make Him Famous....

Through various experiences and situations over the last few months, God's been teaching me more about what it means to live for His glory- that everything I do and say should make much of God and why it's so central to the Christian life. I Cor 10:31-33 A wonderful example of this is the apostle Paul. I've been reading through Paul's letters in my time with the Lord. He's very direct in his messages to young churches with new believers. He makes it very clear that everything he does is for the sake of the Gospel - to make Christ known to the nations. The Lord's been working on my heart to understand that Paul is such an example of what it means to glorify God because he surrendered his entire life. Nothing he did for the kingdom was within his own power! Obeying the will and commands of God are not acts of my own will but of His power through me!
Someone posted the Passion 08 Regionals conference opening video on YouTube. Its a great reminder of what spreading the gospel, making Jesus famous in our generation, looks like: proclaiming His name no matter the cost recognizing that neglecting this responsibility has life and death consequences. (the message intro begins around 4min 30 sec)

Here's the transcript:

Hello Atlanta
We're so glad you're here
We've invited you to our amazing city to LIFT UP the beautiful One
His fame is what Passion is all about Are you with us?
He's the Son of God COME DOWN
Beauty in a sinner's crown
The innocent life laid down
The one where grace from death abounds
And...Just in case you missed it
JESUS IS ALIVE
Our mission: A generation awakened to make Jesus famous
A generation marked by worship and justice
A generation working together to change the world in Jesus' name....
In every place we pose this question...
Could there be a day when His fame echoes loudest
and our campuses hear his name?
We believe it's possible. We believe it's coming. We believe it's time.
We believe He's here.
Everything bright and good, lasting and true, everything new
He is
Price payer, shame bearer, grave ender, breach repairer, crown wearer
rearranger, hope's anchor, world changer, church builder, always sustainer,
freeing,loving, never-ending
HE IS HERE!